Victoria native, chef announces new local pizza joint

By EMILY GUERRA - EGUERRA@VICAD.COM
June 17, 2010 at 1:17 a.m.

Victoria native Andrew Rokovich announced he will open a new pizza restaurant on North Navarro Street. The chef agreed to offer a sneak peek into the food and environment soon to be offered at DoubleDaves Pizzaworks.

WHO IS ROKOVICH?

The 26-year-old left Victoria seven years ago to attend the Texas Culinary School in Austin. Since, the chef cooked for many restaurants, including the Four Seasons in Las Colinas. "Even when I lived here, I waited tables. I've always been in the restaurant business," he said.

WHY OPEN A PIZZERIA HERE?

Rokovich said he expects Victoria to remain a South Texas hub. With new schools and the expansion of a university, he said he expects accelerated growth. "This city is going to attract a lot of people," he said.

WHAT ABOUT THE RESTAURANT?

David Davydd Miller founded DoubleDaves Pizzaworks in 1984 in College Station. Today, the restaurant chain boasts 60 Texas locations. Rokovich is one of its newest franchise owners.

WHAT CAN PATRONS EXPECT INSIDE?

The restaurant will open Aug. 1 at 7104 B. N. Navarro St. - in the old Cluck You Chicken restaurant - adjacent to Cimarron Junction. Rokovich is remodeling the building to create open space. The restaurant will include pool tables and an arcade.

HOW ABOUT THE FOOD AND DRINKS?

"We're famous for our pepperoni rolls, which have three different types of cheese," Rokovich said. "We also pride ourselves on our hand-tossed pizza." In addition to pizza, the restaurant offers pizza stuffers, chicken parmesan, stromboli and Philly cheese steak, to name a few menu items. Rokovich will serve beer and wine and consider expanding later to a full bar.

FINAL THOUGHTS?

"You can go to any pizza location on the corner and get a pizza for $10, but you can't get a quality hand-tossed pizza here in town," Rokovich said. "You'll have to check us out."